Chopstick manipulator



June 6, 1967 T. N. ARlMA CHOPSTICK MANIPULATOR Filed June 25, 1965 linz/wr? Thomas/Y @rim United States Patent O 3,323,825 CHPS'HCK MANIPULATQR Thomas N. Arima, 3510 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, 1li. 60657 Filed June 25, 1965, Ser. No. 466,937 9 Claims. (Cl. 294-16) This invention relates to a manipulator for eating utensils and more particularly to a device used to manipulate chopsticks.

t is a well known fact that Westerners, normally not accustomed to using chopsticks, experience a great deal of dilhculty when, because of necessity or local custom, they have to use chopsticks as eating utensils. Thus, there arose a need for a chopstick manipulator which would aid a person not accustomed to using chopsticks so that such a person would be able to use chopsticks without any prior training and with minimum amount of difliculty.

An o bject of this invention is to provide a new and improved chopstick manipulator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a chopstick manipulator which could be used by a person totally unaccustomed to the use of chopsticks as eating utensils.

Still another Object of this invention is to provide a chopstick manipulator having easily adjustable and replaceable chopsticks.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chopstick manipulator which could be easily held in a hand of an average person and would be easily operable.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a chopstick manipulator which is easily manufactured and is inexpensive.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chopstick manipulator embodying the present invention, the manipulator being held by a human hand;

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of a ehopstick manipulator embodying the present invention with one side wall removed and showing the interior of the casing;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken line 4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken line 5 5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional View of the chopstick manipulator embodying this invention with one side wall removed and showing alternate means for fastening a spring in a housing; and

FIG. 7 is a front elevational View of the chopstick manipulator embodying the present invention and showing an ornamental design of the casing.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawing and will herein be described in detail an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exempliiication of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a device, generally designated 10, for manipulating a pair of chopsticks. The device comprises a casing 11 having a substantially rectangular form and being made of plastic or other suitable material. The casing 11 has a pair of side walls 12 and 13 and edge walls 14, 15, 16 and 17. The casing 11 is approximately M1 of an inch thick, the side walls 12 and 13 each measuring approximately 1% inches by 21/2 inches or less, so that the casing can be the generally along the generally along the Patented .lune 6, 1957 lCe comfortably held in the palm of a hand of an average user. The casing 11, as seen in FIG. 7, can be made in any decorative shape with a sutlicient amount of space on the side walls 12 and 13 for advertisements, or the like. A passage 19 is formed in the casing 11 between an opening 29 in the edge wall 15 and an opening 21 in the opposite edge wall 17. A second passage 23 is formed in the casing 11 between an opening 24 of the edge wall 15 and an opening 25 of the edge wall 17. A chopstick 26 is slidably received in the casing 11 through the passage 19 while a chopstick 27 is slidably received in the casing 11 through the passage 23. Thus, the manipulator l@ comprises a casing 11, which can be easily held in the hand of a user, with a pair of chopsticks 26 and 27 slidably adjustable by the user in the passages 19 and 23 in the casing to t users own needs, the operative ends of said chopsticks, as later described, being kept apart by a spring which will permit the chopstick 26 to pivot toward the chopstick 27 when the user depresses the chopstick 25 with his nger.

As best seen in FIG. 2, closures or abutments iii and Sii are formed in the casing 11 along the edge walls 15 and 17, respectively, and are positioned adjacent the passage 23. These closures or abutments 29 and 3i), together with the edge Wall 16, are arranged to prevent any pivotal movement of the chopstick 27, so that the chopstick 27 is held, except for its longitudinal adjustability, stationary in the casing 11. A backstop or abutment 32 is formed at the edge wall 17 extending into the casing 11 adjacent the passage 19 and provides a pivot point for the chopstick 2.6 when said chopstick is pivotally moved as later described. Means are provided for resiliently holding the operative ends 26 and 27' of chopsticks 26 and 27 apart, herein the means comprises a spring 34, such as a fiat shown in FIG. 2, interposed between the chopsticks 26 and 27 within the casing 11. Since the spring 34 ts snugly between the chopsticks 26 and 27, this in itself may be su'icient to retain the spring in its proper location in the casing 11. However, in order to insure that the spring 34 wiii remain in its proper position, a pin 35 is secured to the side wall 12 and extends into the interior of casing 11 in close proximity to the abutment 29 with the arched portion of the spring 34 being placed between said pin 35 and said abutment 29. Under normal conditions, the action of the spring 34 on the chopsticks (26 and 27 will cause the flat side of the spring 34 adjacent the chopstick 26 to be pressed flat against the side of the chopstick 26 so that the operative ends 26 and 27 of chopsticks 26 and 27 will be kept a distance apart, with the chopstick 26 being held between the adjacent hat side of the spring 34 `and the abutment or backstop 32.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown an alternate embodiment whereby the spring is secured in the housing 11. This alternate embodiment comprises an abutment 40 having an angular indentation 41 formed thereon, and a pin 42 having a triangular cross section secured to the side wall 12 and extending into the casing 11 in close proximity to the indentation 41 of the abutment 40. A spring 43 is a ilat spring as the spring 34 shown in the primary embodiment in FIG. 2, however, the spring 43 has at its arched end an angular deformation 45 which is shaped to correspond to the indentation 41 in the abutment 40. The deformation 45 of the spring 43 is placed between the indentation 41 of the abutment 40 and the pin 42 to insure that the spring 43 retains its position in the housing 11.

The chopsticks 26 and 27 are slidable in the respective passages 19 and 23 of the casing 11. Because of this slid-able arrangement of the chopsticks, the chopsticks 26 and 27 can be adjusted to a desired length depending on the size of the users hand and his convenience and can be .removed to be discarded after use.

The chopsticks are normally either round in cross section and tapering toward the operative end so that the cross section at the operative end is smaller, or they are formed, as shown in FG. l, with square cross sections and tapering toward the operative end. Whatever the shape of the chopstick, the portion of the chopstick in the manipulator has a diameter or a transverse dimension just slightly smaller than the interior dimension between the side Walls 12 and i3. Therefore, these side walls act as guides for the chopsticks and in particular maintain the pivotable chopstick in the same plane with the other.

ln the operation of this device, a pair of ordinary chopsticks 26 and 27 are inserted into the casing 11 through the passages 19 and 23, respectively. Because of the action of the spring 34, the chopstick 26 will be held against the abutment 32 so that the operative ends {26 and 27 of the chopsticks 26 and 27 will be kept apart. The user will take the device into his hand and adjust the chopsticks to a desired length by sliding them into the passages 19 and 213, respectively, and normally by pressing his middle finger on the chopstick 26 will compress the spring 34 thereby moving the operative end 26' of the chopstick 26 toward the operative end 27 of the chopstick 27. This operation will enable the user to pick up food between the operative ends 26' `and 27' of the chopsticks 526 and'27. When it is no longer necessary to hold food between the chopsticks, the user will simply release his finger from the chopstick 26 to cause the spring 34 to act on the chopstick 26 and to bring it back into its normal non-operating position, as shown in the solid lines in FIG. 2. The adjustability and the pivotal movement of the chopstick 26 is such that almost any size of a particle of food can be picked up by the user between the chopsticks. The pivotal movement of the chopstick 26 is limited to one plane by the side walls 12 and 13 of the casing 11 so that if its pivotal movement is suicient, the chopstick 26 will touch the chopstick 27. When the chopstick manipulator is no longer in use, the chopsticks 26 and 27 can be removed from the casing 11 and washed to prepare them for possible future use, or they can be removed and discarded whereupon a new set of chopsticks will be inserted into the casing for the future use of the chopstick manipulator.

I claim:

1. A chopstick manipulatorcomprising, a casing suitable for being conveniently held in the hand of a user and having side walls and edge walls, a pair of openings in said edge walls, a pair of passages in said casing between said openings in said edge walls for slidably receiving a pair of chopsticks therein, one of said chopsticks being limited to longitudinal adjustment, a spring disposed in said casing for holding the other of said chopsticks in a position whereby the operative ends of said chopsticks are kept apart, said other chopstick being movable longitudinally and pivotally, the pivotal movement of said other chopstick being limited to one plane and being provided by a force exerted on said other chopstick by the finger of the users hand.

2. In a chopstick manipulator suitablejfor holding in Y the users hand, a plastic casing havin'J assages there- D b t.

through, a pair of chopsticks longitudinally adjustable in said casing and normally extending out of said casing, one of said chopsticks being limited to longitudinal adjustment, a spring disposed in said casing for holding the operative ends of said chopsticks apart, and the other of said chopsticks being pivotally movable in one plane by exertion of pressure on said chopstick by the user for bringing the ends of said chopsticks together.

3. In a structure, a casing having passages therethrough, a pair of chopsticks adjustably slidable in said casing, a spring disposed in said casing for holding the operative ends of said chopsticks apart, abutments formed in said casing for preventing pivotal movement of one of said chopsticks and for suiciently limiting the pivotal movement of said other chopstick.

4. A structure comprising, a casing suitable for holding in users hand and having passages therethrough, a pair of chopsticks inserted through said passages and slidably re ceived in said casing, a spring in said casing for holding the operative ends of said chopsticks apart, a set of abutments in said casing for preventing pivotal movement of one of said chopsticks and for providing a pivot point for the other of said chopsticks when user exerts force on said other chopsticks for pivoting the same thereby bringing said operative ends of said chopsticks in contact with one another.

5. A chopstick manipulator comprising, a casing suitable for being conveniently held in the hand of a user and having side walls and edge walls, a pair of openings in said edge walls, a pair of passages in said casing between said openings in said edge walls for slidably receiving a pair of chopsticks therein, one of said passages limiting a chopstick received therein to longitudinal adjustment, a

spring disposed in said casing for keeping the operativeends of the chopsticks received in said passages apart, and said other passage being constructed to allow a chopstick held in said other passage to move longitudinally and pivotally.

6. In a chopsticks manipulator suitable for holding in the users hand, a plastic casing having a pair of passages therethrough, each of said passages being adapted to slidably receive a chopstick, a spring disposed in said casing for holding the operative ends of the chopsticks received in said passages apart while frictionally and adjustably holding the chopsticks in said passages, abutments formed in said casing adjacent said passages for preventing pivotal movement of the chopstick received in one of said passages and for suiciently limiting the pivotal movement of the chopstick received in said other passage.

7. A chopstick manipulator comprising: a casing having passage means therethrough, a pair of chopsticks associated with the casing, each extending forwardly therefrom, one of said chopsticks being mounted in said passage means or movement both longitudinally and pivotally relative to said casing, abutment means in said casing limiting the pivotal movement of said one chopstick, a spring disposed in said casing for holding the operative ends of said chopsticks apart, said other chopstick being References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1930 Foltis. 3/1966 Rines et al. 294-16 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CHOPSTICK MANIPULATOR COMPRISING, A CASING SUITABLE FOR BEING CONVENIENTLY HELD IN THE HAND OF A USER AND HAVING SIDE WALLS AND EDGE WALLS, A PAIR OF OPENINGS IN SAID EDGE WALLS, A PAIR OF PASSAGES IN SAID CASING BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS IN SAID EDGE WALLS FOR SLIDABLY RECEIVING A PAIR OF CHOPSTICKS THEREIN, ONE OF SAID CHOPSTICKS BEING LIMITED TO LONGITUDINAL ADJUSTMENT, A SPRING DISPOSED IN SAID CASING FOR HOLDING THE OTHER OF SAID CHOPSTICKS IN A 